GB2321911A - Panel structure with bendable support member - Google Patents

Abstract

A panel structure for cabin walls, in particular for ships or the like, of the kind comprising a slab (1) made of a material apt to be finished to obtain the visible part of the wall, and stiffening frame made of metal sections (2) applied to said slab (1), wherein said sections (2) are made of two main bodies (7, 8) having a polygonal shape and connected to the slab by a flexible thin metal strip (13), said strip having a weakening (14) line that allows the bending of the section to obtain the corner of the wall.

Description

2321911 PANEL STRUCTURE FOR CABIN WALLS, IN PARTICULAR FOR SHIPS OR THE

LIKE, AND RELEVANT MANUFACTURING METHOD.

This invention relates to a system and relevant components for the manufacturing of cabin walls for ships or the like. The panels that constitute the wall comprise a rigid slab made of a high-density mixture of fire-proof compounds as calcium silicate, magnesium silicate, aluminium silicate or the like, and binding materials. This slab is the outside wall of the panel: on the back of said panel a number of sections are applied, to increase the rigidity of the panel.

These sections are shaped so as to allow the panel to bend following a series of incisions, provided in the middle of said sections. The sections can be blocked in the required position - by fastening elements - to obtain easily and quickly both flat and sharp-comered walls.

The panels are then covered with insulating material and can then be assembled.

According to the invention, a pair of opposing triangular shaped sections, linked by a thin and engraved strip, are applied to the silicate slabs.

Both sections, on the sides of the triangles, have a series of holes that have several purposes. They make the sections lighter without endangering its rigidity; allow the passage of cables, for instance electrical ones, allow the housing and introduction, in any position, of the fastening elements.

Once these sections are applied to the slab, it is enough to bend the sections along the incisions to obtain an angled wall. The silicate panel has previously been cut. One shall use different fastening elements, depending on the angle one wants to obtain (concave or convex angles), to lock said sections in any required position. As it is known the rules of ship-manufacturers relating to the panels for cabin walls, in particular for passenger ships, are very strict. They require the walls to be perfectly smooth, without visible joints, and the comer must be precisely edged. The panels used to make the walls must be light, rigid, fireresistant and must have both thermal and acoustic insulating properties. The edges at the comers of the cabin must be perfectly edged and shall not need any cover-plate, and the convex anales (the comer of parts holding out the wall), must also be perfectly edged.

Z 2 The rules imposed by customers are so strict that - to obtain good resu Its - all the walls havina holding out parts or convex angles must be prefabricated, and completed in the factory.

These inconveniences raise the costs, the difficulties of transportation, etc.

Years ago the cabin walls were obtained by assembling a series of panels made of a metal plate having the edges bent, so as to obtain stiffening ribs. On one side, the panels were finished off by the application of coatings, paints or the like, and on the other side, the inside part, a mineral wool mattress or the like was applied. These panels had a limited width; therefore one needed to use several panels to obtain a wall. Said wall, therefore, needed other finishing (for instance the application of cover-plates on the joint of two panels).

This kind of panel was not suitable for passenger ships or in the places where luxury cabins were required, because of the joints between the panels.

To meet the rules of the manufacturers in the last years multi-layer panels have been made, comprising a honeycomb structure and two side panels, one of which is the visible part of the wall, while a layer of insulating material is applied on the other side.

These panels have good characteristics of rigidity and lightness but they are expensive to be produced and difficult to be worked in that place.

This makes any need to modify the panels really difficult during the building of the ship. This invention proposes a system and relevant parts to make cabin walls for ships, comprising a layer, e.g. a silicate slab, that constitutes the outside wall of the cabin, on the back side of which a series of stiffening ribs are applied.

Said ribs are shaped so as to allow the bending of the wall, and locking it in any wanted position by the use of fastening elements that are inserted into corresponding holes provided in said sections.

All these elements constitute a really light and rigid structure.

This invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the enclosed figures, by way of example:- r> figures 1, 2 and 3 are the front view, the vertical section and the horizontal 0 section respectively, of a cabin wall made of a panel according to the invention; Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views of two sections used to make the walls of the cabin with the system according to the invention; 1 j 0 0 0 figures from 6 to 12 show, in a horizontal section, some components according to the invention, in the shaping corresponding to the several kinds of. possible panels and corners of wall. Figure 13 is the vertical section of another embodiment of a wall panel 0 according to the invention; Figure 14 is the schematic view of a locking element of the section in a system according to the invention; Figures 15 and 16 show, in section, panel according to the invention; Figure 17 shows, in a perspective view, section connecting elements applied to a slab, in a cabin wall according to the invention.

Figures 18 and 19 show, in section, a wall according to the invention, before and after the bending.

With reference to figures from 1 to 3), a slab 1 of silicate or the like is used to make the visible part of a cabin wall. A number of stiffening ribs 2 made of metal sections - that will be better described later on are applied, for instance by means of glue, to the slab.

These sections are put at a proper distance one from the other, depending on the required rigidity and between these sections a mattress is placed, which is made of a layer of mineral wool, preferably a silica wool. The panel is then finished applying a second inner layer 4, made of glass wool or the like, in particular a fireproof material. All around the obtained panel a frame 5 made of C-shaped sections or the like is provided. These C sections are locked around the stiffening ribs 2 and, once the panel is completed, are also covered with the silicate slab 1.

According to the invention, the sections 2 have the shape of two opposed symmetrical triangles 7, 8 (figs. 4, 5).

The triangles are connected at a vertex, and have two aligned, laying on the silicate slab 1.

An embodiment of the section 2 is shown in figure 4, where the section has the shape of two rectangle triangles, each lying with a cathetus 9 and 9' on the slab.

The embodiment of figure 5 is similar to the previous one but at one end of the sides 9 and 9' two tonaues 10 and 10' are provided, in order to obtain a more rigid 0 section, even if the manufacturing process is more complicated.

0 particulars of the top and bottom edges of a 0 4 The walls of these sections are not continuous but have several holes 11, (fig. 4, 5), that have many purposes: to make the section lighter, to allow the passa _ge of electrical cables and to allow the insertion of fastening elements.

Said fastening elements must block the sections 2 when these last are bent to make angled walls, locking the sections in the required position, as it will be better described later. The sections 2 can be made by a continuous process from a metal sheet, which is cut, spinned and rolled.

The sections can be applied to the panels in several ways: but the use of fireresistant glues or glues based on baked clay is preferred.

The sections comprise two polygonal bodies (in this case the triangleshaped 0 elements 7 and 8), connected by a metal sheet or flexible strip 13, weakened by means of cuts or slots 6 at its middle line.

Between the polygonal bodies a canal is provided, wide enough to allow the two bodies to get close when the panel needs to be bent at its middle (along strip 13) when a comer in the wall is needed.

If the wall is flat, the sections 2 are simply glued to the slab 1 so as to obtain a kind of stiffening frame that is completed by means of other elements described later with reference to figgs. 1 _3) to 17.

When a comer is required, the sections 2 are applied to the panel I with their flexible strip 1-3) on the wall comer.

In that case a cut 14 is made in the silicate slab, this cut having properly shaped edges (e.g. inclined edges like in fig. 7) according to the required angle in the wall.

The panel could be bent along a line at the middle of the section, to obtain, as shown in figures 9 to 12, a concave or convex angle, e.g. a ninety degrees angle.

If a concave angle is required, as shown in figure 9, the walls of cut 14 in the silicate slab meet, thus obtaining a comer of the wall that does not need any other finishing.

In this case, if the two polygonal bodies 7 and 8 have the shape of two rectangular equilateral triangles, their external walls are aligned and the sections can be blocked by means of fastening elements like the one shown in fig. 14.

These can be bars, or a metal thick slab 15 provided with protruding tongues 16.

Said tongues are used to engage the walls of the sections, passing through the holes 11 and blocking the sections in the required position.

CP If a convex angle as shown in figure 10 is required, the section 2 must be bent until its walls are facing each other; thereafter it will be possible to lock it in that position by means of fastening elements having, of course, different shaping.

C C, E.g. these fastening elements can be like the ones shown in figures 10, 11.

0 tP On the outside part, the wall comer will be completed by applying a cover- plate, not shown, that could be applied and blocked by means of tabs inserted through the slots 6 in the middle of the section. The stiffening frame of the wall is completed by horizontal linking/stiffening elements provided at the top and at the bottom of the panel. According to a preferred embodiment, these linking/stiffening elements may be C- :Z C; shaped sections at the top and at the bottom part of the panel, broken at the bending points. The C-shaped sections cover both the vertical sections 2 and the silicate slab. The upper C-shaped silicate has got a series of holes in its upper part, in order to allow the passage of cables and to obtain a lighter frame. According to another preferred embodiment, these linking/stiffening elements may comprise an horizontal tubular section 19 and angular connecting elements C 20. The angular elements are inserted into the horizontal 19 and vertical 9, 9' tubular sections, to complete the wall panel frame. With this solution it is possible to insert at the bottom of the panel a slab 25 (figo. 15), provided with screws 24 that allow to align the panels. At the top some shaped elements 21 may be applied, (fig. 16), to support the ceiling 22. A technician could also provide for different embodiments. E. g. the sections could have different shapes from the shown ones, on condition that the necessary space be provided, to allow the bending of the panel. Both the sizes of the frame and the used materials could vary depending on the needs.

6

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS 1) Panel structure for cabin walls, in particular for ships or the

   like, of the kind comprising a slab made of a material apt to be finished to obtain the visible part of

   1 the wall, and a stiffening frame made of metal sections applied to said slab, characterised by the fact that said sections are made of two main bodies having a polygonal shape and a flexible connecting metal strip, said strip having a weakening line that allows the bending of the section to obtain the corner of the wall.

   2) Panel for cabin walls in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact of providing, between said sections and along said flexible strip, a free space that allows the bending of said section with said slab to obtain the corner of a wall.

   3 3) Panel for cabin walls in accordance with claims 1 and 2, characterised by the fact of providing one of said sections on every corner of the wall.

   4) Panel for cabin walls in accordance with claim J3), wherein a cutting is provided in said slab, on any corner of the wall, said cutting allowing the bending of the slab with the sections.

   5) Panel for cabin walls according with the claim 3, wherein said sections are triangle -shaped.

   6) Panel for cabin walls according with the preceding claims, wherein a series of holes are provided in the walls of said sections, allowing the insertion of fastening elements.

   7) Frame according with claim 6, wherein said elements are made by a metal slab having tabs apt to engage the walls of said sections passing through said holes.

   0 0 8) Panel for cabin walls according with the preceding claims, characterised by the fact of providing, all around the panel, a frame made of the sections apt to be inserted around said slab and said stiffening ribs.

   1 9) Manufacturing system for the structure of the panel according with the C> preceding claims, characterised by the fact of providing: the application on a slab that is the visible part of the wall, at least in the corner of said wall, of a section made of two polygonal bodies linked by a flexible metal strip; cuttina said slab to remove enough material to allow said slab to be bent; bending of said section and said slab on the corners of the wall; locking said section by means of fastening elements; 1 - 7 possible application of a finishing strip. 10) Manufacturing system for panel structure according with claim -9, wherein 0 said slab used to obtain the visible part of the wall has been previously cut.

   11) Panel structure for cabin walls, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.